Section 22 000 005 - 2300 LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY AND YEAR - SPECIFIC PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLSSection 2310 Length of School Day and YearSection 2311 School Year Each public school shall be maintained and operated for 175 student days unless waivers are granted by the Board as provided by 16 VSA § 1071.
2311.1 Days lost because schools are closed for emergency reasons prior to February 1 of any year shall be rescheduled and made up during that school year when such closing will result in a schedule of less than 175 pupil attendance days for the year.2311.2 Petitions for waivers of the 175 student attendance days shall be submitted to the Commissioner's office within 10 days as stipulated by law.2311.3 Petitions received between February 1 and June 15 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. When a petition is sought for emergency reasons, the State Board will consider the school district's calendar to determine if a substantial number of contingency days were included, particularly if the cause is inclement weather conditions.2311.4 School districts shall include no fewer than five contingency days as annual school calendars are developed and adopted.2311.5 Day of Mourning. Whenever a National Day of Mourning falls on a regularly scheduled day of school, the day shall be counted as a full day of school.Section 2312 Length of School Day2312.1 Except as provided in Rule 2311. 5, the school day shall be: (a) for kindergarten, a minimum of two instructional hours. However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 10 hours per week.(b) for grades 1-2, a minimum of four instructional hours including recess, excluding lunch. However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 20 hours, including recess, excluding lunch.(c) for grades 3-8, a minimum of 5 1/2 instructional hours, including recess, excluding lunch. However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 27 1/2 hours, including recess, excluding lunch.(d) for grades 9-12, a minimum of 5 1/2 instructional hours, exclusive of the time allowed for recess and lunch. However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 27 1/2 hours, exclusive of the time allowed for recess and lunch.2312.2 Exceptions to Length of School Day (a) Where the board of school directors has found it necessary to delay the opening of the school day by up to two hours or to send the pupils home after school has begun due to emergencies such as the outbreak of a contagious disease, unsafe building conditions, hazardous weather, high water, unsafe highways, or a fire, the day may be counted as a full day of school.(b) Upon request of the board of school directors, the Commissioner may permit alternate methods of counting the cumulative instructional hours set forth in subsection 2311.4 of this section where: (1) overall, students do not lose instructional time;(2) students do not lose transportation to and from school or to other educational programs during the school day;(3) students do not lose access to related education programs such as technical or special education; and(4) it is otherwise in the interests of the students and the district.Section 2343 Vermont Secondary Equivalency Program Students who receive a standard score of 35 or above on each of the five tests of the General Education Development Test and an average standard score of 45 on all five tests will be entitled to a Vermont secondary school equivalence certificate providing age and residence requirements are met.
Vermont regulations require that an applicant for this certificate offer satisfactory evidence of residence in this state and attain 18 years of age, or 16 years of age if the parent or guardian has given written consent, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Application should be made on a special form, available on request, to the State Department of Education.
2344-2350 (Vacant)
Section 2350 Driver and Traffic Safety Education Programs 2351. A driver education program shall include an approved driver education course during regular school hours as a part of the offerings of the regular school-day program.2352. To be approved by the Department of Education, a driver education course must consist of at least 30 clock-hours of class instruction and at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction by a certified driver education instructor. No more than 2 hours of classroom instruction, and 1 hour of behind-the-wheel instruction shall be provided to a student in one day. Courses provided by secondary schools for persons above high school age, who are unlicensed beginners, shall consist of at least 20 clock-hours of classroom instruction plus 6 or more clock-hours per student of behind-the-wheel instruction or its equivalent.
2353. Unless the driver education course offered to persons not regularly enrolled in high school is the course approved by the Department of Education and the Department of Motor Vehicles in accordance with the state law, the instruction becomes a "driver training school" as defined in 23 VSA, Section 701, and the persons offering the course must be specially licensed pursuant to 23 VSA, Section 702. In either case, the instructor must have a valid instructor's license. None of the expenses for this adult program shall be included in the claims for reimbursement under the State High School Driver Education Program.2354. Behind-the-wheel instruction of pupils on the Interstate Highway System in Vermont shall be conducted only near the end of the required six clock-hours of in-car practice driving for each student.2355. Safety, insurance and other legal requirements shall be met according to 23 VSA, Section 921. Behind-the-wheel instruction of pupils on the Interstate Highway System in Vermont shall be conducted only near the end of the required six clock-hours of in-car practice driving for each student.
22-005 Code Vt. R. 22-000-005-X
Effective Date: Not provided.
AMDENDED: January 25, 2006 (Secretary of State Rule Log # 06-002) Statutory Authority: 16 V.S.A. §§ 164, 165, 241(A), 261(A), 1071